Summer School 2018

Openings available in 3rd, 6th, and 7th grade only. Although we will continue to accept applications and supporting documents for enrollment consideration in the 4th-grade summer school class, the class is full and therefore your child will be placed in a wait pool. Should an opening occur, you will be contacted to confirm your interest and informed of next steps.

Armstrong’s Summer School provides students entering Grades 2nd through 7th daily instruction in math and language arts remediation in addition to strength-based classes such as art, music, and dance. In small group language and math classes, teachers foster a supportive learning community that focuses on review and reinforcement of academic skills. Our program uses the same curricula and teaching methods that we employ during the regular school year. All classes are multi-sensory and allow students the opportunity to gain confidence in a supportive and rigorous learning environment. Families have the opportunity to attend one parent-teacher conference at the end of the session.

Main components of the Morning Academic Program:

• Community-building class meetings and assemblies• Small group language arts remediation with particular emphasis on spelling and decoding skills• Small group math instruction• One strength-based class (such as Art, Dance, Music, Stop-Motion Animation, and Cognitive Development)

Academics Overview

Small Group Language Classes

In the Grades 2 and 3, language arts classes follow the Fundations and Wilson Reading Systems. Both programs focus on phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling. They serve as intervention programs to help reduce reading and spelling failure.

Language arts classes in Grades 4-6 follow curriculum from the Just Words, Wilson Reading System, and Language! Program by Voyager Sopris Learning. Just Words is a highly explicit, multisensory decoding and spelling program for students in grades 4–12. It encompasses a sophisticated study of word structure with explicit teaching of “how English works” for both decoding and spelling automaticity. Language! integrates reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, foundational skills, and spoken English.

In the 7th grade, language arts classes follow the Language! program.

Small Group Math Classes: The small group math classes in the lower grades focus on review and strengthening of concepts, such as number sense, basic place value, addition and subtraction, and time and money. In the upper elementary grades, teacher focus on advanced place value, multiplication and division concepts, and fractions. Math in middle school focuses on fractions and decimals, numerical operations, and number theory. Math teachers use multisensory strategies and methodologies to support students’ deep understanding of math.

Afternoon Camp ArmstrongCamp Armstrong participants will spend a portion of their exciting afternoon camp days rotating between fun and structured on-campus activities like cooking, music, art, games and movie making. There are also days when the camp kids hit the road to check-out local fun activities. In past years, these have included a baseball game, bowling, water slides, swimming, the SF Zoo, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, and Rock ‘N Jump.*

Please note: *Camp activities may vary from previous years depending upon scheduling, availability and the Camp Director’s selection of activities. The afternoon, Camp Armstrong program may only be selected when your student is enrolled in the morning Armstrong Summer School Academic program.